Meet Greer Johnson of Carlise & Co

Hi! I’m Greer Johnson, Founder and Managing Director of Carlisle & Co., a full-service marketing and creative agency based in Winter Park, Florida. We work with businesses and brands across industries on everything from branding and websites to social media, PR, advertising, SEO and overall marketing strategy. I started Carlisle because I loved the idea of bringing all of those pieces together, creating thoughtful, beautiful work, but always with a strategy behind it. Today, I’m lucky to work alongside an incredibly talented team and a really wonderful mix of clients around the country. I’m also a wife and mom of two, so when I’m not at Carlisle, there is usually a little bit of happy chaos happening around me!

https://carlisledigitalmarketing.com/

Why did you join TSC Membership?

I was really excited about the community and the connections that could come from joining TSC. We’ve also been eyeing the Summit at Sea Island for the past few years and have been wanting to join in the fun! Our Director of Content & Creative, Whitney, and I will both be attending this year, and we cannot wait to meet everyone in person. The membership has already exceeded my expectations. I love the Instagram group chat, I’ve attended an incredibly helpful webinar on site security (as someone who has historically been known to reuse a password or two, I am changing my ways!), and I’m so honored to get to share a little bit about myself and Carlisle here. It already feels like such a welcoming, engaged community.

What is a favorite small business you like to shop or support?

Oh my gosh, as a team, we love SO many! A few current favorites are BURU, Tuckernuck and Addison Bay, with Veronica Beard thrown in when we’re in the mood for a splurge. My good friend Malia is also launching High Stitch, which I think is going to be a game changer for brands offering personalization. I LOVE a good monogram, and High Stitch is making it much easier for fashion and lifestyle brands to offer things like monogramming, embroidery and other bespoke options through Shopify. We also love supporting our clients and creative partners! Shop SEVY is a favorite (we just did the cutest brand shoot together!), L. Windham Designs (because scarves are having a comeback and we love to see it), Hunt & Hostess (who customize our holiday gifting), and KM Studio (who collaborates with us on custom illustrations for some of our branding clients). And I have quite the sweet tooth, so Sugarfina is always high on our list for gifting and collaborations. Our team likes to shop – what can I say?!

Where do you go to get your inspiration now?

I’ve always pulled a lot of inspiration from outdoor spaces, hotels and interior design. Whenever we’re developing a brand board, website or overall aesthetic for a client, I find myself thinking about how a particular hotel makes you feel, an interior I love, or ways we can bring elements of nature into a digital space. I love the idea of warming up something that can otherwise feel cold, like the internet! If we can make a website feel a little more like cozying up on a couch, reaching out and touching the grass or walking into a beautiful room where you immediately want to stay awhile, I think we’ve done something right. Of course, not every brand calls for “cozy”, we work with plenty of professional service businesses and highly polished brands, but I still believe there should be an element of warmth and humanity in how a brand shows up. You want people to feel like there are actual people on the other side of the screen.

What is the best business advice you have ever given or received?

One lesson that has really stuck with me lately is to believe people when they show you what they need, and to pay attention to actions as much as words. When you own a business with a team and lots of clients, you’re constantly navigating different personalities, priorities and seasons of life. Someone may be excited to take on a huge project but not realistically have the capacity for it, or a client may think they need one thing when their actions are telling you they really need something else. Communication is incredibly important, but I’ve learned that being a good leader also means paying attention. Listen to what people tell you, watch how they show up, and use both to understand what they really need from you, and what you need from them.